Not All Hero's Are Shining
by JadeOokami
Summary: Yusuke finds a customer in someone he'd forgotten even existed. The kid seems to always get himself into trouble, though to be fair, this time it's not his fault.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Not All Hero's Are Shining

Author: JadeOokami

Category: Yu Yu Hakusho

Genre: Action/Adventure, friendship

Summery: Yusuke finds a customer in someone he'd forgotten even existed. The kid seems to always get himself into trouble, though to be fair, this time it's not his fault.

Timeline: After the end of the manga. Not that long afterwords, but it's all over.

_Warnings!:_ Possible spoilers, especially if you haven't read the end of the manga. If you don't like them, I don't suggest reading. Other than that? I don't really think there are any.

_Updating schedule_: Unknown/unset

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho. If I did, it probably wouldn't be as awesome 8D And This disclaimer is set for the whole story, got it? I'm not going to type it every chapter.

Author's Note: I'm been trying to get myself to write this for weeks now. Partially I haven't because I wanted a nice long break after the other story I wrote, but also because... Well, it takes me forever to get enough inspiration to write something and then much longer to get the courage to show it to anyone. Even after the response my last story had. Sometimes I miss the point of a story, even if I'd have gotten it if somebody else wrote it. So.

I don't know if I'll actually continue this. I mean, I will if I get enough people liking it, but I don't always continue something just because other people like it either. I actually have an entire outline for this little story – it's not from the top of my head like the other one was! (Shocking, I bet, to those who had followed along with the other one, if anybody from that one is reading this one). Everything but the very end is planned. So. Please tell me if you think I should continue. Or, if you think I shouldn't. Either way, I don't mind XP

I wrote this/wanted to write this because in all my long years of being apart of the YYH fandom, I've never seen anything with this character used again. I can assure you that he is NOT an OC. If you don't get who he is at first, you'll find out. You'll probably know very quickly XD

**BREAK** (Why can't I get break lines to work?)

The sun had barely risen. The air was a bit chilly, as it always was at this time of the year. He wasn't lost – he'd never been here before, and he didn't recognize anything, and the further he went the more he began to think this was a bad idea. But if he was lost, that would mean he was in a bit of trouble, and he couldn't afford trouble. So he wasn't lost.

But he really was getting a little worried. He didn't live in this immediate area. He had needed to take the bus to get there, and he'd gotten a lot of looks. He knew he was a little young to be out so very early in the morning, but the looks were unnecessary. He could take care of himself. He had to, in order to do what he needed to.

Masaru turned the corner and found another dead end. It wasn't that it was _really_ a dead end, but he wasn't seeing the supposed ramen stand that was around here. He'd come knowing that it was a gamble and that he might be wasting his time even if he found it, but he didn't know what else to do. Nobody else took him seriously.

He huddled into his sweater. He could feel his hidden item tucked away inside it, to keep others from knowing it was there and to make himself feel better. He was always a little nervous around busy streets, so this deserted one was something of a comfort to him. Even if it was perhaps dangerous as well. He mentally waved aside what he knew his mother would be saying to him right now, if only she knew what he was doing; but he would do it anyway. Because nobody listened to him. Nobody _ever_ listened to him. And he knew he was right.

Around another corner and he spotted it – a lone ramen stand. It was sitting under and over-pass, and somehow didn't look lonely, even though it was in such an out-of-the-way place. There didn't seem to be anyone around. He didn't know if this was really the right place or not, but as far as he knew, there was no other ramen stand around here in the middle of nowhere.

He gulped. Stared at it. Wondered what the owner would be like.

He'd heard about this place from a classmate, who'd apparently heard about it from a family member. He'd been just as skeptical as all his other classmates, but when he found that he really actually needed someone to solve his problems, he'd had little choice but to go back and ask for more. After a little game of telephone, he'd gotten enough information to figure out the general area of the thing. And although he'd been getting more and more skeptical and down trodden the more he wandered, here it was.

Now, to see if it really _was_ more than just a ramen stand.

As he approached, he kept imagining what the owner would look like. The stories he'd been told was paper-thin, but he knew that, supposedly, the owner of the ramen stand was suppose to be a kind of problem solver for the super natural. It had to be a real muscle man in order to fight with ghosts and stuff, he thought, and began thinking about big, hulking men with a bunch of tattoos.

Except that when he arrived in front of the stand, he could only see a guy inside that didn't look that old or that strong, although he was looking from behind. The shoulders weren't all that broad, and the guy wasn't that tall. He seemed very normal. Very much like someone who might run a ramen stand, but not a supernatural problem solving business.

"Hello?" He called, because there was nothing for it. He had to ask anyway, just to be sure.

"Stand's closed, man, can't you read?" The stranger said, tilted his head over his shoulder just enough to nod toward the sign at the side that pronounced the business closed.

"I'm not here for ramen," Masaru replied, wrinkling his nose. The voice had also sounded kind of young.

"Not here for...? Well, then why didn't you say so?" The other turned around after setting something down, and Masaru found himself looking at a guy that didn't look like he was even out of high school. He watched the others face fall and then huff a little, "Oh. What, you want directions? Lost? Kid, what are you even doing out so late?"

"It's breakfast time. It's not late." He watched and stared. He thought that face was very familiar. He resisted the urge to say something about it, since he didn't know what it was from.

"Early then," The guy tilted his head to the side, "Is it really breakfast time? I knew I was out a little longer than normal, but breakfast time?"

"Yeah, it is," Masaru frowned slightly, moving closer to the stand and hesitating, but ultimately slipping into one of the seats, "Are you really suppose to be some kind of problem solver?"

"Kid, whatever problem you have, it's probably not the kind I solve," The other rose an eyebrow slowly, "You probably couldn't pay anyway. You know how to get home?"

"I can pay!" He insisted loudly, suddenly feeling hopeful that maybe there really was somebody who can help him, "I can!"

He brought out what he'd hidden under his sweater – his life's savings. In the form of a ceramic pig that had dollar sign's for eyes. He set it down on the counter, hard. It gave a loud thunk; there's was a heaviness about it though that he recognized because there was actually quite a bit in there. Unlike other kids his age, he'd always saved almost every yen he'd ever received or earned, and it was all gathered here. He'd give it all away, if he had to. He gave the stranger a fierce glare.

"Whoa," The other eyed the pig for a moment before looking back at him, "Did you really save all that up?"

"Of course I did!" He glared harder. He'd never stolen. Ever. "So, I can too pay. Will you help me?"

"Look, kid-"

"My name isn't 'kid'," He interrupted, "It's Masaru."

"Look, kid," The other ignored him, "You should spend all that money on something you like, like a game or something. If you have a problem, you should go to your parents. Or somebody else. There's suppose to be councilors or something in your school you can go to, right? Or maybe a cop. Or somebody other than some guy in a ramen stand."

"I tried!" Masaru leaned forward in his seat. He could smell ramen very strongly from the counter. And this guy's face really _was _familiar. "I told my mom, and she said it's fine. And I told her doctor, and he said I was just being imaginative. And I even told my teacher, and she told me that I should tell my mother. _Nobody_ believes me! Nobody ever _listens_!"

There was silence for a long few seconds. He caught his breath, gripping tightly onto his piggy bank, enough so that his knuckles began to turn white. It was as much from his anger as it was his anxiousness. He didn't want to go back if this guy could actually help him. Brown eyes very similar to his own watched him, completely serious.

"Alright," The stranger drawled, slowly sliding into a chair on the other side of the counter, "Tell me what your problem is. But I can't promise nothin', got it?"

His throat briefly closed up, and he had to work at it while he gave a briefly shaky nod. Here was his chance. He'd exhausted almost all his choices. He had finally found somebody who might be able to help him. There was no guarantee that this person would really _listen_, because to listen one had to do more that let the words flow through their ears, but there was a chance.

A chance was all he had asked for.

"My mom's sick," He started, and ignored the way the other frowned, "It keeps happening. She doesn't get _sick_ sick. She just get's... weak. Really weak. Until she can't move, until she won't even wake up anymore. She's gone to the hospital several times, and she always stays there for a week or so and recovers completely. The doctors don't know what's wrong. They say she just keep overworking herself, but I don't think that's it. She always gets better, but as soon as she comes home, she always starts getting weak again."

"So, what do _you_ think it is?" The other asked, and he resisted the urge to look up sharply in surprise. It was the very first time anyone had asked _him_ what _he_ thought.

"Sometimes... sometimes I start to feel weak too," He admitted, embarrassed, avoiding the others gaze, "I never really noticed it at first. I never even noticed that I'd been feeling weak at all, until I went on a field trip that lasted a couple of days. I 'recovered' then – I felt so much better. And then I went home. And I started to feel bad again. I told my mom, but she always said that I must just be working really hard at school. But I'm _not_."

"Not working hard at school?" The other asked in amusement, and Masaru ignored him. He continued on.

"And in our basement... I never go down there. But when I pass by, I always feel really... cold. Something is... _bad_... down there. It scares me. And even though everyone thinks I'm to young to see it, I notice it. That everyone else avoids it too. Mom hasn't gone down there since we first moved in. Guests always mention a cold draft from down there. And when mom started to feel weak again... I tried to go down there. After she told me I was imagining things. I saw eyes glowing out of the darkness at me. They were black, but they still somehow managed to glow. I ran. Mom collapsed not long after. I think there's a demon down there."

"You believe in demons?" The other seemed very serious now, eyes sharp.

"Everyone's talking about them," He defended, "Some call them aliens, but mostly people call them demons. I don't know what they really are. But if there's one hurting my mom, you have to help me."

The stranger leaned back, still serious. He eyed the ceiling of his stand, and then the end of the street. He was frowning. Masaru took it as a sign of disbelief.

"If you can help, then you've _got _to!" He exclaimed loudly, picking up his piggy bank and bringing it down again almost as loudly, "Can't you help? Nobody else believes me!"

"Can you blame them?" The other was staring at him now, "I'm not surprised that nobody listens if it's just a kid yelling 'demon!'. Isn't there a story like that?"

"I'm not lying!" He shouted angrily. He could feel his eyes burning now.

"Whoa, not so loud! I didn't say you were!" The other held up his hands in the universal sign of surrender, "If it'll make you feel better, kid, I guess I'll take a look. I _was_ going to go home and get some shut eye, finally, after a long night of work, but I don't want some kid crying at my stand. _Do_ you know your way home?"

"I'm _not_ crying," He muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"Of course you're not," The other had on a cocky smirk now. He pulled off his headband and his apron, setting it aside and then moving out from behind the counter, "Come on, move back. I need to shut this place up good so nobody tries to steal anything."

Masaru did so. He watched silently, holding his piggy bank, as the other closed up his stand. When he was finished, the boy asked warily,

"So, are you really some supernatural problem solver?"

"Yeah, something like that. How'd you know about me anyway?"

"Classmate," Masaru replied flatly.

"Uh-huh," The other was eying him again, but then he shrugged and smirked again, "The name's Yusuke Urameshi. Masaru, right?"

"Your name's _Yusuke_?" Masaru repeated, his eyes widening. His grip on his piggy bank tightened again, his heart rate spiking. He knew that name. He knew it as well as he knew his numbers. "Yusuke _Urameshi_?"

"You know me, kid?" Yusuke asked curiously.

"I..." Masaru's voice failed him. _That _was why the others face was so familiar. He only saw it _every day_. Granted, it was a little different. Yusuke's face was longer, his eyes a little more narrow. His shoulders a little more broad. But everything else was almost exactly the same.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Yusuke mused.

"I... I _might_."

He looked around with a raised eyebrow, "I don't see any ghosts around here. I don't think I know you. How do you know me? Or is it my street reputation?"

"I... My mother has a picture of you in our living room," Masaru said softly, watching as the others eyebrow rose to meet it's twin.

"A picture of me? You're sure it's not someone else?"

"Um... Maybe?" He thought. He was pretty sure that he was looking at the same face as the one in the picture. But maybe he was imagining things, this one time. He _had_ to be. The Yusuke Urameshi he knew of was suppose to be dead, after all.

"Well, whatever. So. You know how to get home?"

"Of course I do!" He snapped in annoyance, pushing the thoughts away, "I'm not a little kid!"

"Hey, even _I_ get lost when I go places I don't recognize!" Yusuke exclaimed with a roll of his eyes, "I'm just makin' sure. Lead the way then, big guy."

"Fine. Then I will!"

Masaru wouldn't admit that he was, actually, lost. But when he stumbled on a bus stop several streets away, he pretended that he'd known where he'd been going the whole time. He ignored Yusuke's amused smirk the whole time. He knew all the buses. He could lead the way home just fine, as long as he knew what bus he was on.

As long as this guy could help him and his mother. He silently prayed that it was so. So far, this guy was only humoring him, but if he was actually useful, then he'd know. And he'd be able to be satisfied. He had to protect his mother. She couldn't keep getting sick like she had been. He wasn't stupid. All his teachers even said he was very smart. He knew the bills were steep and that his mother couldn't afford to keep missing work. He would help her, for once, even if she wouldn't believe there was something wrong in the first place.

**BREAK**

A/N: Andddd. That's it. That's the first chapter. It's shorter than what I usually write, but so would probably most of the chapters in this story, should I continue. It's not SUPPOSE to be very long. Ten chapters at the most. Probably. Maybe. ^^; It's suppose to be a short story. The plot isn't something that is super unique, but well. Anyways. Please tell me what you think, and if I should continue. If people really think I should, I can promise that it will get completed.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Alright, I have decided that I guess I'll give it a shot. I don't know what is considered a 'good start' for fanfics, stat and review wise, but since a few people seem interested, I'll give it a shot. Also, it'd probably be good for _myself_ to finish it. Probably. Well, it couldn't hurt, that's for sure. Anyways, here's the second chapter!

**BREAK**

Masaru was the first to step off the bus, and he almost tripped in the process. He was nervous. He couldn't wait to hear what this guy had to say after checking the house out – and if there was something there, what he had to do to get rid of it. He felt a certainty that there was definitely something wrong, deep down in his chest. It was a feeling he couldn't recall having felt before.

Yusuke stepped off the bus after him, yawning loudly without bothering to cover his mouth. He stretched his arms above his head,then looked both ways down the street they'd stepped off on.

"Which way, kid?" He asked, and Masaru resisted the urge to snap. He didn't much appreciate being called a kid all the time.

"This way," He grumbled, turning in the corrected direction and forcing his feet to start moving. The street wasn't very busy at all – mostly the kids were already in school, the people at work, and those left at home mostly still sleeping. They occasionally saw someone peeking out a window, or walking down the street opposite them, or moving about in a store, but that was about it. They didn't live in a busy area. It wasn't quite a sleepy little town, but it was close.

He took the route that went by some of the stores instead of going by the school that he attended. Which was were _he_ was _suppose_ to be right now, and he didn't want anybody to see him. It'd taken a little courage to genuinely skip school, but his patience had completely run out with adults lately. Not to mention, his mother had look ghastly this morning, her skin almost gray and her frame so small...

They passed by a corner store, the last before they would enter his neighborhood, and he tried not to stare at the group loitering about the entrance. They were obviously delinquents, and they were laughing obnoxiously. He could hear the vulgar insults they were throwing around from even where he walked. He rather hated those kinds of groups – they liked to hang around and pick on the kids who walked to the elementary and secondary school near here. He'd had some yell across the street at him just a couple weeks ago. He'd avoided walking that way for several days afterwords.

Needless to say, their area was small, but it wasn't exactly a model society.

A couple of them were snickering at him now, and he kept his head faced forward determinedly. He could feel his face burning slightly, and his grip on his piggy bank tightened noticeably. He was glad he had hid it back under his sweater.

He couldn't help but look, though, which he heard the snickers quiet. He tried to only do so out of the corner of his eyes, knowing that sometimes just looking would invite attention.

Their eyes were slightly wide and maybe even a little pale – they all leaned in together, whispering, as if they weren't sure of what they were seeing.

"Is that... Urameshi?" Masaru heard one whisper. He barely made it out.

"What's he doing in this area?" Another hissed worriedly.

"You don't think he's trying to move in our territory, do you?" A third scowled.

Masaru blinked rapidly, realized he'd turned his head toward them completely in trying to listen, and quickly turned back ahead. Yusuke seemed completely unconcerned.

"You... do you know them?" Masaru asked hesitantly.

"I don't know, I don't remember every thug's face that I bash in," Yusuke shrugged carelessly, and shoved his hands in his pockets, a smirk briefly covering his face before flitting away, "And I _have_ bashed in a lot."

Masaru hesitated again. What kind of person was Yusuke, anyway, if thugs in their little area recognized him by sight alone? If this Yusuke really was the same Yusuke he thought he was, then he wondered even more. He didn't know much about him; his mother hadn't liked to talk about it much. He looked curiously over at him, only to find the other was already looking right back. Startled, he jumped a little, then blushed.

"Don't worry," Yusuke told him in amusement, "I'm not going to take your lunch money."

"I don't have any anyway," Masaru shot back. The other laughed.

They continued on. They were out of the corner store's sight very quickly. They entered a quiet neighborhood. They saw a couple of people about. One or two did lawn work. There were no children, since they were all at school. They went down a few streets, talking very little. He continued to get a little more anxious, the closer to home they got.

When they finally did arrive, he looked up at his house. He noticed that even though it was now bright daylight outside, it somehow seemed to loom over them maliciously. It gave him a bad feeling. It was as if he were being watched. He looked over to his companion, just to reassure himself. He expected to see the same cocky Yusuke as before.

It _was_ the same Yusuke, but his lazy, cocky smile was gone, as was his slouch. Now, he stood straight, looking at the house as if he was inspecting an item. His eyes were sharp, focused. Something about him had suddenly shifted from being a high school looking drop out, to somebody who really knew what he was doing.

Instead of being reassured, Masaru felt his heart stick in his throat.

"This is where you live?" Yusuke asked, and it was in an almost lazy drawl.

"Y-yeah," Masaru toed the dirt nervously, "Is... is there something wrong?"

Yusuke looked down at him, raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to show me inside?"

The boy wordless started up to the front door. He didn't really have much to say. That the other wanted to come inside at all was something both promising, and foreboding. The door opened with a creak, and as he kicked off his shoes, he heard his mothers weakened voice from somewhere deeper in the house.

"Masaru? Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me, mom!" He called back, not wanting to worry her.

"Masaru? What are you doing home from school?"

Yusuke barely paid any attention to it, kicking off his shoes and nudging them to sit roughly beside one another. He stepped inside, tilting his head to the side. Listening.

"I... I forgot something," Masaru answered with a minor wince. He hadn't thought about the excuse he'd use when he got home.

He was a little startled when Yusuke stepped right by him, waltzing right into the house as if he lived there himself. He watched as the other looked out, tilted his head to the side, the strode purposefully into the hallway.

"Where's this door go?" He asked.

"Masaru? Who's with you?"

"That goes to the basement," Masaru replied quickly, a little nervously, before calling back to his mother, "Just a friend, mom, don't worry."

"What are you doing here with a friend? You should be in school!"

He briefly wondered why his mother hadn't appeared yet, hands on her hips like she always did when she was about to lecture him, but then Yusuke pulled open the basement door and a huge draft of freezing cold air rushed out and hit him in the face.

"Whoo!" Yusuke waved at the air in front of his face, "Stinky."

The cold air _did_ smell, actually, Masaru noticed faintly. He was rather busy, though, shivering. Not from the cold, but from the feeling of wrongness emanating from his basement.

Yusuke started right down the stairs without a moment of hesitation.

"We'll be quick, mom, don't worry!"

Masaru heard some clanking from what he was sure was the kitchen, and took a deep breath. He was brave. He was smart. And he could go down there, easy. It was just a room. Just a basement. And if there was something else down there, well, that's what he'd brought Yusuke here for, right?

Three steps down, he felt goosebumps rising rapidly on his arms. He made himself go all the way to the bottom anyway. He almost ran into Yusuke there, and pushed him aside to reach for the light switch. He found it after a few moments of searching and flicked it on.

There was a brief flash of dying light before the light bulb popped and they were cast back into darkness.

He wondered why there was no light coming in from the window that he knew was down here. But then he heard something, he knew he did, and he reached out, trying to find the other. Why was it so dark? The light from upstairs should be enough to see at least a little!

"Yusuke?" His voice was hushed. He didn't think he could be any louder if her tried. "Yusuke?"

He bumped into something and may have screamed if a hand hadn't come down to rest on his shoulder, and he heard Yusuke's voice say, "Here, kid. Stay still."

"Do you... think something is... here?" His voice shook, just a little.

"Be quiet too," Yusuke added.

Silence fell for a moment, before he spoke loudly to the room around him.

"No use hiding yourself, I know you're there."

From the darkness came a hissing laughter that sent chills down Masaru's spine. It sounded... slippery. Kind of like liquid splashing against the grounds.

"Nice work," The voice said, and some of the fluidity of the voice slipped away, "So you aren't one of those fake human sensors after all. I can sense you have a little power to yourself. What do you want?"

"I want to know what you're doing in this basement," Yusuke shrugged, "And then, after you tell me, I want you to leave."

From the darkness came the glowing eyes that Masaru remembered seeing several weeks ago, when he'd tried to venture down here by himself. He didn't realize he'd started holding onto the back of Yusuke's shirt for his life until the other shifted. The thing in the darkness laughed again.

"I will not leave, low-level. What would you do to make it worth my while?"

"I would let you keep your life," Yusuke was smirking again as he cracked his knuckled, "Probably."

"You say you would kill me if I do not leave?" The thing asked mockingly, "You could not. You are nothing but a low-level. Lower even than myself."

"Don't you know anything?" Yusuke sighed in a very put-upon way, "You're, what, a C-class? Maybe? Man, I can kill C-class in my sleep and not even know it."

The thing began to laugh yet again, confidently, superiorly. Masaru hated the sound of it, not because it was an ugly sound, the tone of it aside, but because it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He was afraid, very much so, and he could _feel_ it. Sitting in the darkness, almost directly ahead of him, slightly to the left. He didn't question how he knew, but he did.

And then Yusuke began to _glow_, a brilliant bight blue that banished the darkness for several feet around them.

Masaru could see vague shapes in the darkness now, and he felt his hands covered in what felt like warm, dry water. The light was bright, but it didn't hurt his eyes. The extreme chill that had been pervading his clothes was now completely gone.

The laughter trailed off quickly.

"If you care at all for the boy and the woman, you'll leave here," The thing warned in one, quick breath.

"What will you do to make it worth my while?" Yusuke mocked.

"You know what I am, don't you?" The thing asked, "I feed off the spiritual energy of humans. I've been feeding off this family for a couple months now, but I've kept them alive. I can assure you they'll stay that way if you leave now. But I have by power latched on to them both very firmly. Can you kill me before I suck them dry? Do you want to try?"

"I think I could," Yusuke replied confidentially, "Do you think you could kill them before I kill you? Huh?"

"...Even if you kill me, you'll regret it!" The thing cried out now, and Masaru could hear the fear in it's voice now, especially in the hesitation from before it'd spoken, "My master will know of my death instantly! He will come for you! He'll kill you, low-level, and your family! Even if you could hide yourself, you can't protect everyone you care about!"

"Still with the low-level, huh?" Yusuke rolled his eyes, "I'm only showing you a small bit of what I could do. This isn't my full power. Bring your master on. I want to see what he can do."

The thing screamed as if it was already dying, and suddenly Masaru found that his vision was swimming. Strength fled from his arms, and they dropped from where they'd gripped Yusuke's shirt, and hen it fled from his legs. He collapsed backward, feeling as if his whole body weighed like bricks, his head becoming so light he thought it might detach from his shoulders and fly away. He didn't remember hitting the ground, but one one moment he was falling in that strange state of weakness and light headedness, and the next he was staring up at his basement ceiling, his sense kicking in to full effect once again.

Yusuke's face appeared above him, frowning.

"Is it gone?" Masaru asked, his throat tight, his voice soft.

"Yeah," The other nodded briefly, "It's gone. Are you alright? How do you feel?"

"I... I'm better now," He sat up, rubbing his forehead, "I think I'm getting a headache."

"Yeah, sometimes that happens when you get low on energy. Or at least, that's what I've heard."

"What you've heard? You've never been low yourself?" He wondered aloud, glancing up. The basement was now as it should be. He hadn't realized just _how_ unnatural that darkness had been until it was gone. He could now see about the clean, empty room pretty clearly, what with the light streaming in from the door and the small window.

"Well, I was usually fighting for my life whenever that happened, so I never really noticed," Yusuke mused, putting his chin in his palm, elbow on his knee. Masaru almost asked about that, but then he heard the crash from upstairs and his question flew out of the proverbial window.

"Mom?" He cried in concern, turning and sitting, frozen. He received no answer. Feeling a slow rise of something that might be panic, he was barely off the ground by the time he was running up the steps. He went up them with his hands, too, almost like a dog, because he just couldn't get his balance back when he'd spun and tried to stand so quickly. His feet just wouldn't stop running.

He almost fell on his face at the top of the stairs, caught himself with his hands, and then ran down the hall, into the kitchen.

His mother was passed out across the floor, sweating, gray, her chest barely moving. There was a shattered plate near her, and he swept it aside hurriedly, his face and eyes burning hotly. He barely felt the sting of a cut on his hands, crying out for his mother, afraid to touch her.

Larger hands appeared from beside him, and he looked frantically to see Yusuke with a serious expression, kneeling over her, hands out. They just hovered there, and for a moment Masaru thought the other was hesitating.

"What are you waiting for?" He exclaimed, "Help her!"

"This isn't something I'm good at," Yusuke replied, eyebrows furrowing, "Her spirit energy is barely even there. I can't tell... We need somebody else. I'm not good at this kind of thing."

"What do you mean, you're no good?" Masaru shouted, feeling twin streaks of warm wetness trail down his face, "You beat that... that _thing_, didn't you? So help her! I know you can!"

"I can't," Yusuke snapped, and Masaru flinched back. "But she's not dead. Call for an ambulance to take her to the hospital, she'll be better off there. I know somebody who understands this kind of thing better than me."

Masaru stood on shaky legs, practically running again for the phone. As he called, he saw Yusuke pick his mother up, bridal style, and carry her out into the hallway. He relayed his situation to the operator, though he could admit that there was quite a bit of hysterical crying in there. The operator did her best to help him calm down – her calm voice did do something, at least, and he managed to slow his tears down. They'd stopped completely by the time he hung up, which he did against the operator's wished. She'd wanted to remain on the line with him, but he couldn't. He wanted to hurry to see Yusuke, to make sure the other didn't suddenly disappear.

He didn't trust the other not to leave and never return again with help.

He hurried into the living room, and spotted his mother instantly. Yusuke was across the room, and wasn't really moving, so he didn't immediately go to the other. Instead, he went to his mother.

Her face was peaceful, as if she was sleeping. Or dead. He had to stare for a long time at her chest to see the rise and fall of a breath. He worried – could someone live off of those small, few breaths?

He turned, opening his mouth to ask what the other though, really, but paused. His angle allowed him to see Yusuke standing in front of the stand that had a certain picture of it. It was decorated with a few flowers and an incense tray. He knew that incense was burned every year on the anniversary of _that_ day.

Yusuke turned, face scrunched up in confusion. He held up the picture so he could see it.

"This... where'd you get this?" Yusuke asked, eyes glancing to the picture he recognized as the one that had been shown at his funeral.

"My mother got it to remember," Masaru replied, hesitating, "I... almost died, when I was smaller."

Silence.

"Oh. _Oh._"

Yusuke looked back and forth from the picture, to Masaru, "You! You're that one kid! The stupid kid that went out into the street even though I told him not to!"

Masaru scowled at being called stupid, but it dropped in his own confusion. The only one's that knew that were few and far in between, and he spoke as if... as if _he_ was the one that had died to save him. But that was impossible, right? Yusuke didn't _look_ like a ghost!

The sound of an ambulance reached their ears, and Masaru had no time to wonder how the heck they'd gotten there so fast. He was caught up in a whirl as people appeared and took his mother away, and his mind spun almost one-hundred and eighty degrees, focusing solely on his mother.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Not much to say here. Thank you for the reviews! I appreciate them all. I wouldn't mind getting some more *Hinthintnudgenudge* 8DDD

**BREAK**

Yusuke slipped by the paramedics. He ignored the gawking onlookers, the curious neighbors that had gathered around the area. There was whispering abound, and he could tell that a lot of people were wondering who he was. This seemed like one of those neighborhoods where most of the people knew each other, which was kind of annoying if somebody decided to start pointing fingers at him.

"Hey, wait!"

He briefly contemplated pretending that he hadn't heard. It was probably the tears that made him stop his quick strides. He was already two houses away back the way they had come, but he turned his upper body partially around so that he could see the kid standing not too far behind him, shoulders squared like he was going to get into a fight, silent tears rolling down his cheeks. He looked terrified, but trying to cover it up.

"I'm coming with you," Masaru said firmly.

"...You should go with your mom, kid," Yusuke motioned with one hand toward the ambulance, which was currently loading up the unconscious mother. "She'll want to see you when she wakes up."

"You don't even know if she _will_!" Masaru exclaimed, visibly gathering himself when a few neighbors looked his way in curiosity. He fisted the front of his shirt, hands shaking. He looked back towards where his mother was, and his heart twisted. He _wanted_ to go with her. But he wouldn't. He looked back at Yusuke. "I'm coming with you."

He watched the other as he was examined. He could see the others frown, and shifted uncomfortably, restlessly. But just as he thought it would be a long moment of silence, Yusuke abruptly spoke, "Alright, but I hope you're faster than you look. Hurry it up, let's get going."

His stomach briefly clenched before relaxing. He ran up to walk beside the other, and found himself needing to keep up with a quick pace. His legs were much shorter, so sometimes he would have to briefly break into a jog, but he did keep up.

"Why didn't you go with your mom?" Yusuke asked as they boarded the bus, looked as if he were going to say something else, then thought better of it and kept his mouth shut.

"Because," Masaru replied, his tears long since stopped, "I want to make sure you bring back help. You might take off, and then mom might..."

Instead of being insulted or even annoyed, like he had expected and kind of hoped, the other _laughed_. Amused, Yusuke said, "Ah, I get it."

"What?" Masaru demanded. "What's so funny?"

"It's not _funny_," The other shrugged, leaning back in his seat, "It's... I don't know. It's good. You're making sure your mom is taken care of. That's good."

He blushed lightly, and silence fell. He turned and looked out the window, watching as the bus gained speed. As his heart and mind slowly calmed, he felt the urge to ask the other about his reaction to that picture, which had been the others splitting image. He did briefly turn towards Yusuke to do just that sometime during the ride, but he found the other slouched back, hands stuffed in his pockets, eyes closed. He remembered then that Yusuke worked nights, and that he hadn't slept since the day before. Masaru felt, for a moment, guilty. So he looked back out the window and didn't ask anything.

After a while, though, he worried the other had fallen asleep and the they were going to miss their stop, since _he_ certainly didn't know where they were going. He began to get anxious when they reached a more upper class town that was a ways away from where they'd gotten on the bus near that ramen stand, and he didn't recognize a thing. The sun was getting high in the sky, and his thoughts kept returning to his mother. He hoped against hope his mother was alright.

Just when he was mustering the courage to shake the others shoulder, Yusuke opened his eyes, looked around, and hummed in slight annoyance.

"Another two stops," He muttered, rolling his shoulders. Masaru's own drooped with relief.

"I thought you were sleeping," The kid admitted in his relief.

"What, and miss our stop? Nahhh. I'm not _that_ tired."

Masaru wondered about that. He tried to stay up really late once, but he hadn't been able to last past three in the morning.

Two stops came and went, and when the third came up, Yusuke stood and ushered him off the bus in front. There were another couple of guys who looked much less kind that got odd right behind them. They took off with loud laughter.

Yusuke led the way, and they walked in silence down several long streets. The pace wasn't quite as fast as it had been before, but neither was it leisurely. When they finally stopped, it was in front of a house that looked to be quite a nice size. Bigger than Masaru's own, for sure. The name plate read Minamino. He wondered what kind of people lived here, to be able to help his mother. It had something to do with 'energy', Yusuke had said, so the person that lived here had to be skilled with that sort of thing, right?

"You know, I think Kurama has a brother somewhere around your age now," Yusuke contemplated thoughtfully as they walked in through the gate and up to the door.

A few moments after he knocked, the door opened. There was a middle-aged woman standing there. She was very pretty, Masaru thought, and her face lit up in a smile when she spotted them.

"Yusuke! What a surprise!" She exclaimed, opening the door wider, "We were just having breakfast! Would you like to join us?"

"Ah, no, thanks. Sorry to interrupt," Yusuke replied sheepishly, surprisingly polite, "I needed to talk to Kur-, uh, Shuichi. It's important. Is he around?"

"He is!" The woman nodded in the direction of the house, "Both of them, in fact."

"That's right," Yusuke blinked slightly, "I forgot they share a name. How to you tell them apart?"

"It takes some practice," The woman's eyes sparkled a little in a pleasant way, "Come on in. You really should join us. There's plenty. Or are you in a rush? You said it was important?"

They stepped into the thresh hold, and Masaru couldn't resist looking around. Everything was immaculately clean, unlike his own home, where things were often laying around or misplaced. Even the shoes were in neat, careful lines. Usually, he just tossed his own in the general direction of the mat. Now, he was also very careful, trying to make sure that his own shoes fit in with the rest. His was definitely the dirtiest, but Yusuke's was the most worn.

"We are, actually. Again, sorry to interrupt," Yusuke repeated earnestly.

"Nonsense. You know you're welcome here as a friend to my Shuichi. Although, who's your young friend here?"

"He's uh," Yusuke stumbled slightly for a moment, "This is Masaru. I'm, uh, watching him. For a friend."

"How kind of you," The woman said before smiling down at Masaru, who looked back in slight embarrassment, "Hello. My names Shiori. Please make yourself at home here."

"T-thank you," Masaru gave a small, brief bow. His mother wasn't nearly as overly kind as this woman – Shiori seemed to ooze it, and she was so welcoming. He felt out of place here in this clean, neat home.

They walked into the dining room, which was small, but he marveled they had one. He himself, and all his friends, didn't have a room solely for the purpose of eating in. He usually ate in the living room in front of the TV.

His first impression was that it looked like something out of a magazine. There was a man at the table, who listened intently as another boy talked about school. He looked a little older than Shiori, and although he had the air of a businessman, he had an easy smile that was quick to come and slow to leave. The youngest boy, who talked, did so not loud or boisterously, like Masaru often did, but nonetheless conveyed a lot of excitement. He used his hands often as he talked, and his eyes were alight.

The last at the table was... somebody that Masaru wasn't entirely sure was male or female. They had soft features, expressive green eyes, and fluffy, long red hair. They stuck out like a sore thumb, and not only because they were very good looking, no matter what gender they were. It was because of the exotic hair and eye color – everyone else in the room had natural, Japanese colors, but this person...

They rose an eyebrow upon seeing them, and the other boy's talking trailed off. The man glanced their way.

"Shuichi, dear, your friend came here to see you," Shiori announced.

"Yusuke...?" The androgynous one asked with a slight frown.

"Hey, sorry, can I talk to you for a minute?" Yusuke asked, shoving his hands in his pockets again, "It's kind of important."

"Of course," The other stood, putting their napkin on the table and then speaking to his family, "Excuse me."

Masaru was struck by the fact that while the others face was hard to categorize, their voice certainly wasn't. It was most definitely male, even if it had a softness to it most boys didn't have.

He was almost stepped on by Yusuke when the other moved to the side to let his friend through, and he hurried out of the way. He then trailed after them both, wringing his hands together nervously. He felt even more out of place now. Not to mention that this person wasn't what he had been expecting. Then again, neither had been Yusuke.

They walked upstairs, and entered a bedroom that was just as neat and orderly and _normal_ as the rest of the house. Once the door was shut, the stranger turned towards them with a frown.

"What kind of important?" He asked.

"I'm no good with this kind of thing, so I'm hoping you are," Yusuke replied, "It's... very important for her life."

"Alright," The redhead sat as his desk, turning his chair towards them, "So what's the problem?"

Yusuke flopped back onto the made bed, pulling his hands out of his pockets to lean his elbows on his knees. Masaru wasn't sure what to do with himself, so he remained standing uncomfortably in front of the door.

"Hey, sit down," Yusuke told him, giving a slight motion towards the bed, "Kurama doesn't bite. Usually."

"Yusuke," The other, Kurama, said flatly with a similarly flat look.

Masaru shook his head resolutely. He didn't want to sit down. He felt too antsy and restless for it. Now that they were here before the person that may be the one to save his mother, he could feel his heart speeding up again.

"Suit yourself, kid," Yusuke looked back to Kurama, and then motioned towards him, "This is Masaru. Apparently he heard about me from someone and managed to find my ramen stand. He claimed that he and his mom were basically being haunted by a demon, and that none of the adults believed him. Long story short, he was actually right. Masaru, this is Kurama."

"Pleasure to meet you," Kurama said politely before adding, "Please call me Shuichi around other people though."

Masaru gave a slight nod.

"Problem is this," Yusuke continued, "The demon was a parasite, and it kind of attack the kid and his mom. His mom is now in the hospital, and her spirit energy is way low. Dangerously low. But I don't know how to fix that kind of thing. I barely felt it when we left."

There was a moment of silence as Kurama obviously thought. Then he said, "Healing isn't my forte, you know."

"I do know," Yusuke defended, "But you're suppose to be the smart one. No way Kuwabara would know the first thing to do, let alone how to do it, and even if Hiei was an expert, I don't think I could get him to lend a hand. And I can't exactly get a hold of Botan, and the old woman's obviously not around, so..."

"I might be able to do something for her," Kurama acquiesced, "Let's go now – too much time may have already passed."

Masaru's heart skipped a beat at that, and he quickly scurried out of the way as the two supposed adults started his way. He followed behind, feeling a little lost and practically jumping from foot to foot in his anxiousness. They went to the dining room, where Kurama announced that he had to go. Shiori offered to save his leftovers for later, and Kurama thanked her for it. He wished his brother good luck at school, and said goodbye to his father and mother, and then they were out the door.

"I'll drive us there," Kurama offered, and as they loaded into the car, Yusuke whistled.

"Nice ride," He complimented with a grin.

"It was a present in celebration for my job with my stepfather," Kurama replied just as his head disappeared inside.

The car revved to life and they pulled out into the street. Masaru sat with his knees together, alone in the backseat.

"I'm surprised you don't have your own place yet," Yusuke commented, looking out the window.

"I do, actually. But mother likes me to show up at meals, as a way to keep in touch in a way phones don't manage. I prefer it anyway – her cooking is much better than mine."

"They say a mothers cooking always tastes a lot better, but I wouldn't know," Yusuke grinned, "Mine cooks like crap."

"Your mother isn't exactly... traditional," Kurama smiled slightly in return.

All the talks about mothers only made Masaru feel worse. His mother's cooking wasn't exceptional, as it was a lot of trial and error, but it was good nonetheless. His chest ached for home, but he swallowed it harshly. His mother was a little young, but she always only wanted the best for him. He hadn't ever really thought about things like her cooking beyond wondering what they were having that night.

It took a little bit to get into the hospital, as the parking lot was crowded, but when they did, they had to find where his mother was being kept. The receptionist was kind enough to look her up when Masaru told her his mother's name, but apparently, his mother wasn't suppose to receive any visitors.

"She's in... fragile condition," She said carefully though not unkindly, "She needs her rest."

"Are you sure there can be no exceptions?" Kurama asked smoothly, "This is her son, and he's very worried."

"Oh, dear," The receptionist frowned, "Are you all family?"

"Friends of the family," Kurama replied.

"I see. The orders are that there aren't any visitors allow right now. You're free to wait, though, and I'll let you know the moment that that changes. I can ask the doctor for you, but I don't think he'll change his mind."

"Please do," Kurama gave a nod of his head, "We'd appreciate it."

While Masaru was annoyed that they were all talking about him like he wasn't there, he followed silently. However, just before it seemed like they were just going to leave and he was about to say something, they abruptly turned into a hallway.

"And... we're going where?" Yusuke rose an eyebrow.

"I saw the room number. She left it up on the monitor."

Masaru blinked, startled. "We're going to _sneak in_?"

"You have a problem with that?" Yusuke glanced his way with another frown, "You want to save your mom, don't you?"

"I don't _mind_, of course I want to save her!" Masaru exclaimed angrily, "I wouldn't have come to you if I didn't!"

"He has you there, Yusuke," Kurama smiled a little in amusement, keeping an eye on the room numbers.

They found the room well enough. It was on one of the upper floors, though, and Masaru always felt like every time they passed a doctor or staff member, they were going to get caught. There were no guards at the door, like he'd been imagining, and they slipped in with no problem. He was a little miffed at how easy it had been.

"What do they think is wrong with her?" Yusuke wondered as they spotted the woman on the bed, hooked up to all kinds of equipment, including a heart monitor and a drip. All the other machines Masaru didn't recognize, but he did notice she had a lot of wires attached to her. It seemed like whenever he saw that on TV, the person was always about to die.

He practically ran to her side, and though the wires twisted around and got in the way, he managed to take her hand. He called out to her, but she didn't even bat an eyelid.

Kurama picked up the clipboard at the end of her bed, flipping through it.

"They aren't sure," He answered, "They can't find anything at all, but it says she's completely unresponsive. She's in a coma – they don't know why, or how, even though her brain waves are normal and the rest of her seem completely healthy."

"Does being super low on spirit energy put someone into a coma?" Yusuke asked as he came closer, frowning and briefly closing his eyes as he stood near her. Masaru thought he looked a little strange.

"It can," Kurama placed the clipboard back where it had previously been, "But not if it's only being 'low on spirit energy'. Then they would just need some rest, as you should know. The only cases I know of that could... well, let me see her first."

He came up on the other side of the bed, and Masaru watched as he placed one hand on his mothers forehead, eyes shutting in concentration. There was a tense silence before his hands began to glow blue. Masaru wondered if it was the same as he had felt before, in his basement.

When Kurama finally opened his eyes and drew his hand back, he let out a small, satisfied breath.

"Yes. It was her life energy that was tapped into. It was only just barely, but you should know how dangerous that can be, Yusuke."

"Yeah, yeah," Yusuke rolled his eyes.

"So she's going to be okay now? You fixed her?" Masaru asked anxiously.

"She should be fine," Kurama smiled reassuringly at him, "She will need a lot of rest though. It will take a while before she has enough energy back to function on her own."

"How long?" The kid gripped her hand tightly, but there was still no response.

"I can't say for certain. The rate at which people regenerate their spirit energy is often different," He looked at the pale woman on the bed, who was already gaining some color back to her cheeks, "Though, your mother doesn't seem to be spiritually inclined. Her spirit energy seems to be naturally low. It may take her a little longer than most."

"As long as she _will_," Masaru whispered softly, looking into his mothers face, his eyes burning again. This time, in relief.

"We shouldn't linger," The other added, "Now that we know she'll recover, we should wait outside for a doctor."

"Yeah, we'd get in trouble for bein' in here, huh?" Yusuke mused.

Masaru ignored them for a moment, leaning forward and murmuring for only his mother to hear, "You'll wake up soon. And then we'll go home. And everything will be normal again, and maybe next time you'll believe me."

Then he backed up, looked at his mother a little longer fondly, and turned towards the other two. He was surprised when Yusuke suddenly reached out and ruffled his hair.

"You should be hoping that there won't _be_ a next time."

He glared up at the other, pushing his hair down and trying to smooth it out. He wondered how the other had heard him – he had spoken so low, _he_ had barely heard himself.

Just as they reached the door, it opened and Yusuke swiftly stepped out of the way. In the doorway stood someone who was unmistakably a doctor. They all stared at each other for a moment. Then the stranger exclaimed, "Who are you? This room isn't suppose to receive any visitors!"

"We're sorry," Kurama smoothly intervened, "But he was so distraught about his mother."

"That's no excuse to go braking into rooms," The doctor reprimanded, "If I find out you've done so again, I will take action. Understand?"

"Yes sir," The three of them chorused.

"Good. Now," The doctor looked to the boy, "You're Masaru?"

"Y-yeah," He blinked, startled.

"Your neighbor told us about you," The other said, "Please go wait out in the waiting room. I will talk with you in a few minutes."

They quickly left. Down the hall, Yusuke sighed in relief.

"Man. I thought he'd get a lot angrier than that."

"We're lucky he didn't do more," Kurama replied with his own sigh.

The wait was a short one. Masaru found that when the doctor had said 'talk with you', he meant 'talk with the adults and _not_ you.'

He didn't mind. He waited in one of the empty chairs in his own little area. He was relieved beyond words that his mother would be alright. He watched in vague concern as Kurama and Yusuke talked with the doctor. At one point, Yusuke waved him over. He went almost reluctantly.

"Do you have any family you could stay with for a little while, while your mother rests?" The doctor asked him gently.

"My mom is my only family," He replied. "That's what she told me."

The other frowned slightly.

"How about you boys? What are you to him?"

"Friends of the family," Kurama repeated his earlier lie.

"If that's so, then surely you can watch him. We would need accurate contact information, and we'll ge a hold of you the moment that the situation changes."

"Yeah," Yusuke reluctantly said, "I guess. Here."

He pulled out a very basic cell phone. He looked through it for a moment before turning the screen towards the doctor, "This is my number. I can give you another, just in case."

"That's great," The doctor nodded before pulling up his clip board and unclasping a piece of paper, which he handed to Yusuke, "Please fill this out. I'll return in just a minute."

Yusuke huffed a little, taking the pen held out to him. The doctor left.

"Mom is going to _love_ this," He muttered as he went to one of the low coffee tables and began to fill it out. While Masaru felt somewhat guilty again, he was too happy about the good news to care overly much.

"What'd the doctor say?" He questioned.

"Nothing we didn't already know," Kurama remained standing, "Don't worry. They won't be able to tell any difference for a while yet."

The doctor did indeed return several minutes later, accepting the form with no comment towards Yusuke's bad handwriting, like Masaru had. When they were given the go ahead, they started back towards the car.

"I didn't know you had a cell phone," Kurama led the way.

"Keiko made me get one," Yusuke shrugged carelessly, "She said that she was tired of not being able to get a hold of me, even when I wasn't in the dem- er, around here. I'm still not use to the damn thing."

"I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"That's what I thought, but this is my third phone. I keep braking them."

Kurama laughed as they got into the car, "Where should I drop you off?"

"Uh, well, I'd say my place, but I guess the kid needs to get his stuff. But it's a little ways, so just drop us off at a bus stop near your house, I guess."

"What's your address?" He asked Masaru, who told him. "I know that area. I can give you a ride there and back."

"Are you sure?" Yusuke glanced his way, "Don't you need to get to work?"

"It's fine," Kurama hummed, "I have a late schedule today. I'm already out anyways."

"Thanks, man."

And so they started towards Masaru's home to gather his things for what promised to be an interesting adventure. Masaru wasn't sure what he was expecting, but at least the dangerous part was over.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Okay. So. I know I left this story hanging for farrrrrr too long. At least I'm here now? I apologize nontheless. I'm afraid that I lost interest in this story a while back and sort of pushed it to the back of my update list... only to forget about it all together.

You have deaddog1991 to thank for reminding me that not only does this story still exist, but that I hadn't updated in so very, very long. Every time I see someone alerted this story ever since I was reminded, I can't help but feel guilty. So I've looked back through the old outline I made for this (The only one I've ever made an outline for! Luckily, or I can promise that I wouldn't be here right now, not remembering what was suppose to happen)

I can't promise a regular updating schedule for this. I find that I'm not going to rewrite the first three chapters like I thought I would when I picked this up again. The first bit of this chapter was also written not long after the last chapter (Thus, it's very old). If there's any noticeable change, that's why. Hopefully it'll be easier to keep back up with since this really isn't suppose to be that long a story...

* * *

Masaru hammered down on the red button, jamming the joystick as far forward as it could go. His character on the screen let loose a barrage of punches that were blocked by the opposite one. He bit the inside of his cheek as his eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Then the opposing character suddenly leapt high and delivered a combo complex enough that he couldn't dodge, and the words 'GAME OVER' flashed across the screen in bloody letters. He heard laughter from the other side of the console, and Yusuke's head popped out from the side.

"Not bad, kid!" He grinned cockily at him, and Masaru scowled back.

"You only won because you probably come here a lot more than I do," He shot back at the older boy, "Is this what you do all day?"

"Usually, I _sleep_ all day," Yusuke rolled his shoulders as well as his eyes, "Ramen stand, ring any bells?"

"One more time!" Masaru insisted.

"Alright, alright. One more time," The other smirked a little wider, "I can spare a little more change to kick your butt again."

"You got lucky the first time," He positioned himself better on his stool and tried to focus. Yusuke was good at these fighting games, he could admit that much, but he wasn't _that_ great. He could win, if he could only move just a little faster.

Unfortunately, he lost yet again, though it had been a close battle.

"Nice try," Yusuke teased as he stood. The guy in the seat next to him briefly glanced up at the sudden movement, and promptly lost his game. He cursed under his breath, while Yusuke leaned on the machine Masaru sat at, "This beats school any day, don't you think?"

That didn't require even a moment of thought on Masaru's end, honestly, because he'd often dreamed about staying home from school and playing video games all day, or even not going back ever again.

In his defense, it wasn't for a lack of trying that he wasn't at school right now. He'd woken in something of a panic – he'd slept horribly, being in a new place and torturing himself wondering about demons and how many were out there, and he hadn't woken until a little after eleven. Then he'd run into Yusuke's room, fully intending to start jumping on the bed and yelling, but he'd run right into Yusuke's hand instead. Which he could have sworn had _not_ been in he way seconds before he'd run into it.

The other hadn't particularly cared how colossally late he was for school, and had told him just to call in sick or something. The temptation had been great. Then the voice of his mother, which was becoming a regular addition to his mind lately, had scolded him for even contemplating it, and he'd tried to convince Yusuke to see it his way.

One offer of taking him to the arcade had silenced his mothers voice, and then here he was.

"If I get in trouble, it's gonna be your fault," He muttered instead.

"Hey, you could have just said-" Yusuke's phone interrupted him with a cherry tune, and he eyed his pocket like he was seriously contemplating ditching it in a trashcan somewhere. Mumbling, "I never thought she was the type to go switching ring tones around," he answered it.

Masaru watched the others eyes light up in recognition, and looked around. The arcade wasn't very fancy, but it had newer machines than the one nearest his own house. There was lots of flashing lights and plenty of people playing hooky. There wasn't anybody as young as himself, which he found a little off-putting, but at least he wasn't at school right now.

"Oh yeah?" Yusuke asked into the phone, "You sure work fast."

Masaru couldn't hear the response from the other side of the phone, but Yusuke grinned and looked at the ceiling lazily, his shoulders relaxed.

"Alright. That's great. We'll be there. Talk to you later," Yusuke hung up and shoved the phone back in his pocket before nodding at Masaru, "Come on kid. Time to go."

"We're not going back to your house, are we?" He asked hesitantly. He had nothing against the others house, really, but its other occupant was... intimidating.

"Nah, that was Kurama. We're goin' to pay him a visit, he says he's got some info for us."

"Oh good," He relaxed a little in relief and the other obviously noticed.

"What's got you in a knot about my house?" Yusuke asked with a slight frown, "You didn't seem to hate it before."

"I don't," Masaru defended, "But your mom..."

The other let out a loud laugh, nudging him forward with his knuckles. "Yeah, okay, that's understandable. She isn't exactly the greatest child role model."

They hadn't exactly had the best of first impressions either. Masaru had been terrified when he'd walked through the door, and straight into a man's leg. It was one of the tallest, baldest, meanest, and most colorful men that Masaru had ever even _seen_. Covered in tattoos and a few piercings and some raggedy clothes that were raggedy to promote a tough image rather than a poor one, he was practically the definition of 'trouble'. Then the man had addressed somebody still in the room that Masaru couldn't see, and sneered at them like he stabbed kids like him for fun.

Masaru had _not_ been happy. Actually, he'd been pretty terrified. Even more so when it became obvious this man (And the one behind him, who wasn't as horrible, but was still fairly frightening) answered to the person still inside, he had started to wonder if he'd chosen the wrong house. Yusuke had come to save the day again, and it turns out that it was the correct house. And when the men left, and he discovered their 'boss' was a young woman, possibly younger than his own mother and almost as pretty. He hadn't been sure what to think.

That the woman was Yusuke's mother threw his mind for a loop.

She was loud, rash, and liked to ruffle his hair far too much. She kept teasing Yusuke about picking up stray's, and about how he was a little young to be taking care of a kid full time. Yusuke had vaguely mentioned how it might run in the family, only to receive a pillow to the face.

"It's only been a day," He mused, "How'd he find anything out so fast?"

"Hell if I know," Yusuke snorted, holding the door open as the younger boy hurried out, "He's got 'connections', if you know what I mean. Kurama's always been the smart one."

"How'd you meet him?" Masaru glanced up at the other when they fell in step side-by-side, "I mean, you both can kill demons and stuff, right? Did he hire you once or something?"

"Hire me?" Yusuke let out a short bark of laughter, "Hardly! We met under... tense circumstances. But it worked out for the better."

"'Tense circumstances'?" Masaru tilted his head to the side in curiosity, "What do you mean?"

"He was involved in a case that I was suppose to take care of, back when I was new to this stuff. But that's old news."

"What, like the enemy?" His eyes widened and he almost tripped. He tried to imagine the red head he'd met just the day before fighting with Yusuke. He couldn't do it.

"That was years ago," The older teen waved a hand dismissively, "It's way too much work to hold a grudge that long. Besides, he didn't actually do anything to me. Let bygones be bygones, I always say."

They ride the bus to get to Kurama's parents house. It is the easiest way to get around town and Yusuke doesn't have a license or a car. The outside is just as clean and nice as it was the day before, but nobody comes to answer the door. Yusuke glances left and right before moving to walk around to the backyard.

Kurama is there, apparently watering the potted plants there. Masaru blinks, struck by how the older boy seemed almost domestic and certainly rather soft. Yusuke raises a hand in greeting and grinned.

"Yo, Kurama. Family all out?"

"Yes, for the day," Kurama stands up straight, patting down his pants, "Shuuichi is at school still, though I expect he'll be home any moment now. I was asked to look out for him today."

"Always the awesome big brother, huh?"

"I don't know about that," He smiles a little towards Masaru, "How are you today, Masaru?"

"Same as yesterday, I guess," The boy shrugs a little.

"So, what'd you find out, mister know-it-all?" Yusuke leans against the back of the house, his voice lighthearted but his tone serious.

"I sent an inquiry to one of my contacts," Kurama started, idly refilling the watering can with the gardening hose, "I expected to have to wait a few days while they looked into it, but turns out they had an idea already who we're looking for."

"Off of a small description of a tiny parasite demon that had nothing interesting to say except that it had a master?" The other asked incredulously, "Either there's less of those than I'd have thought, which I doubt, or they know something I don't."

"Turns out there's a certain demon that's been making a bit of a rukus lately," The redhead shut of the hose and brushed his hair over his shoulder, "I was told that he's actually pretty old nowadays, but he was for the longest time rather weak. Never made about C-class in his first half a century."

"Must have been a tricky bastard to live that long if he's so weak," Yusuke frowned slightly, "Most don't live a fraction that long."

"He is," Kurama agreed while Masaru glanced between the two of them, "But his saving grace is that his only ability was a rather valuable one. He had a guardian, or perhaps a master of his own before he was taken in as an apprentice instead of a slave, who used his ability for a long time while guaranteeing his life for as long as he was loyal. This guardian... he wasn't a hugely important demon, but he wasn't exactly obscure either. Recently, he died, and his apprentice has starting trying to take over all that was his."

"So it's a case of a power hungry henchman, is that it?"

"Perhaps. I know that he hasn't been entirely subtle with his movements. I don't know if that's on purpose or not, but a lot of demons aren't happy. They prefer this new peace, I think, and this guy is rather obstructing it," He leaned over a particularly large pot, tilting the water just enough to get a calm shower, "Before, it was only rumors that he'd moved some of his games into the human world. But among parasite demons, his was rather unique, so my contact was fairly certain that they're one in the same. He goes by the name Echo."

"Peace?" Masaru looked between them again, this time doubtfully, "Demons?"

"They're not all bad," Yusuke replied.

"You're... kidding, right?" The other stared for a moment, "My mom's _in the hospital_ because she was attacked by one _for no reason_!"

"Well, there was a reason, just not really a pleasant one."

"Yusuke, I don't think that's helpful," Kurama shook his head with a tiny sigh.

"They're _demons_!" Masaru impressed, "Them and 'peace' don't go together without a 'not' in between!"

"Look, it's not all that diff-"

Yusuke was cut off by Kurama, who reached over to quickly slap a hand over his mouth. For a moment, the teenager looked rather startled and confused, but then a vaguely familiar shape rounded the house.

"Oh, you have company," Shuuichi mentioned calmly, "Sorry, I didn't mean to interupt."

"Not at all," Kurama replied in a similarly mild voice, "Is there something you need?"

"No, I just wanted to let you know I was home," The younger brother waved and quirked a small smile, "Hello Yusuke. Is this family of yours?"

"Hey, what's up?" Yusuke grinned easily as he shook aside Kurama's glance, "I hear you got straight A's again? I guess that's normal for guys named Shuuichi."

"I think it's mostly because big brother helps me whenever I need it," Shuuichi shook his head, his smile slightly widening.

"Right, you two haven't met!" Yusuke's eyes lit up, "Actually, don't you go to the same school? Shuuichi, this is Masaru. Masaru, Shuuichi."

Masaru looked a little shyly at the other boy – he was at least a couple years older. With that in mind, he would guess the other went to the middle school that was connected to his own, as the uniform he wore was the same.

"We haven't met," Shuuichi confirmed, "It's nice to meet you though. Would you like to come inside?"

Startled, Masaru raised his eyebrows. He was about to turn the offer down when Yusuke interrupted with, "Why don't you? We'll be a little bit more and there's a couple things that I don't think a kid like you would be interested in. I think Shuuichi has some cool games."

"I'm not a kid!" He burst out before he could help it. The other chuckled.

"Of course not," Kurama mediated.

Masaru did in up going at the subtle prodding of both Yusuke and Kurama, and he couldn't help but feel angry and left out. They'd just been discussing the demon that had attacked his mother, after all, and he wanted to know more.

It was hard to be angry with Shuuichi though. The other boy was completely calm and rather modest. His collection of games wasn't actually all that impressive. None of them were particularly violent or cool. Until he pulled out another shelf to reveal several of the newer games that he himself had been wanting to try.

"I'm not suppose to have them," Shuuichi admitted with a touch of embarrassment, "My father doesn't really approve of them much. But my brother gets them for me sometimes when I do well in school."

"Some of these are just out!" Masaru looked through them in awe, "I haven't even tried them yet. Kurama got you all these?"

"'Kurama'?" Shuuichi's nose scrunched up in confusion. Belatedly, Masaru remembered that the redhead's actual name was actually something different, and that he wasn't suppose to mention the nickname.

"Oh, um," He floundered for an excuse, "I, um, heard Yusuke call him that. He said it was a nickname? I don't think he uses it much, but I wasn't sure what his real name was."

"My brother and I share a name," The other explained wryly, "We're both Shuuichi. Weird, huh?"

"Yeah," Masaru chuckled nervously.

"Anyways, want to try one?"

"So," Yusuke crossed his arms as the boys disappeared from view, "What's this ability of his that's so great?"

Kurama edged to the next plant, this one carefully seeping a little of his energy into so that it stood a little straighter, looked a little healthier.

"From what I understand," He started, "It's simply being able to absorb energy from other people."

"Well, that's not very impressive," Yusuke shook his head and frowned again, "There's plenty of demons who can do that! And probably a fair amount of items too."

"The difference is that usually, being able to absorb energy would only refresh the demon, restoring their energy supplies," Kurama said, "Remember Byakko?"

"Yeah. Kuwabara beat him by making him absorb too much energy," The other chuckled, "That's the second time today I was reminded of that mission."

"Any demon that absorbs energy can only absorb so much," He continued, "They have limits. But Echo does not have quite the same issue. His ability allows him to increase the size of his own energy supply. It takes a little time to fully integrate the energy into his system, and I believe that if it's not done in time the energy will escape. But as I'm sure you can guess, that is a rather very dangerous ability to have."

"No kidding," Yusuke ran a hand through his hair, "But if he's so old, why hasn't he just absorbed demon after demon after all these years?"

"He's not _that _old. Younger than myself, for example."

"You're pretty old yourself, grandpa," He grinned and held his hands up in surrender at the baleful stare he received.

"I _imagine_," The other started again, "That he has been doing exactly that. But a master would have to be very careful, both to avoid getting into such a position as to be taken advantage of, and to avoid letting his apprentice get to strong. And since he was so weak, he could only absorb demons he could get his hands on, which would be those weaker than himself. D and C class don't accumulate power quickly."

"So now that his master is dead, he's taking full advantage. Well, I guess he's probably not entirely stupid."

"But that's all I know. I'll look into it some more, but for now, I can only suggest that you keep an eye on Masaru in case Echo _does_ decide to do something about his underlings death."

"Must be loyal then, if he's willing to get revenge for one of those things."

"Parasite demons aren't really rare, Yusuke, but _loyal _parasite demons are. They're probably rather valuable to him, since they probably bring him as much energy as they can carry."

"You're the smart one, I'll take your word for it," Yusuke pushed off from the wall and stretched with a sigh, "Thanks for the information then. It sounds like _someone_ should be keeping an eye on this guy one way or another."

"No problem."

A little while later, as Masaru walked side by side with Yusuke, he gushed about the games he'd played.

"I thought it wasn't as good as the last one," He rolls his eyes a little, "I did like that they got rid of the reloading feature though, it always took too long in the last one and you'd die if you weren't careful."

"First person shooters aren't nearly as fun as the fighting ones," Yusuke exclaimed, "What's so fun about pulling a trigger? At least get in his face a little!"

"It isn't very hard to hit somebody in the face," Masaru argued, "At least in a shooter you have to aim!"

"Psh, so what? Aim and shoot and it's over. In a fighter game you can pull off awesome combinations and finishing moves!"

"Yeah, but they hardly ever have a good plot, if any at all! I bet the ones you play are all tournament-like! Those are hardly any fun after you get use to the buttons."

"Ha! Just winning is fun enough! Though I suppose they aren't _quite_ as much fun as a real one."

"How would you know?" Masaru crossed his arms. "Ever been in a tournament?"

A wicked grin crossed Yusuke's face.

"_Have_ I?" He repeated in amusement, "Oh yeah. Yeah, I've been in one. That wasn't very fun, I've gotta tell ya'."

"What kind of tournament?"

"A fighting one, what else were we just talking about, kid? Took place on an island. Kurama was there."

A few seconds of silence passed, broken only by the sound of their footfalls. Yusuke glanced over when the barrage of questions he was expecting never came.

"Hey, Yusuke? Is Kurama his real name?" Masaru asked thoughtfully.

"... Depends on how you look at it, I guess," Yusuke shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Legally? No."

"So, what, is it some kind of code name? Since we're not suppose to use it around his family and all... Do they know about how he helps you with demon stuff?"

"No, definitely not, and don't mention it to them either," He replied sharply. After a moment, he added, "Kurama is his old name, but some people still know him by it. But people around here aren't suppose to know it. I guess you could look at it like a code name."

"Isn't he ever worried that the demons will get revenge on his family?" Masaru asked with genuine confusion, "If they don't even know, how can they protect themselves?"

"That's what Kurama's for," The other explained quietly, "Don't worry about him. He's fine. And I don't think any demons would have the gall to attack _his_ family, really. And the ones that would have the courage, won't, because they know better."

"He must be really strong then," He murmured almost wistfully, "To be that confident he can do it on his own. I wish I could do that."

Yusuke went quiet for a few moments, looking up at the sky with a strange expression on his face. Eventually, he let out a sigh and a mumble that sounded suspiciously like "Hiei's right, I'm getting soft" before taking the kids shoulder and turning down a street that went out of their way.

"Where're we going?" Masaru exclaimed, startled.

"I'ma show you something," Yusuke explained, "But you're going to promise to keep it a secret."

"I am?"

He looked down at the kid with a raised eyebrow. Masaru gave a weak chuckle.

"Right," He agreed, "I am."

Masaru didn't understand what could possibly be so interesting in a park, but that's where they went. Yusuke led him to the side, away from what few people were around. There was a wide grouping of trees that they stopped before, and the other looked around suspiciously for a moment before turning and kneeling.

"Okay," He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, "I'm going to show you how to do something. Or, try to, anyway. Okay, so, how did he explain it to me?"

Mumbling to himself, he rubbed his forehead thoughtfully before nodding decisively to himself. "Alright. Here's what you do."

Masaru could admit freely that he felt rather stupid, staring at his pointer finger like it was suppose to do something other than point.

"Are you even tryin'?" Yusuke asked, though he didn't sound very irritable.

"What's there to try?" Masaru replied uncertainly, "Is it... suppose to _do _something?"

"What, you think I'd drag you here to watch you stare at your finger all day?" The older boy rolled his eyes, "Yes, it's suppose to do something. Probably."

"What do you mean, 'probably'?"

"I mean, probably. I'm no teacher, okay? Just concentrate."

He tried. He really did. But he wasn't really sure what he was suppose to concentrate _on_.

"You'll know it's working when it starts to feel warm," Yusuke explained.

"So, warming my finger is suppose to... do what, exactly?"

"That's _not_ what the purpose is," He slapped his forehead with a sigh, "Though I suppose it means that you wouldn't get cold hands?"

Masaru was distracted by a distinctly tingly feeling in his finger, but he couldn't decide if it was because his arm was going to sleep or not. His question was answered when he spotted a faint shimmer around his finger.

"Yeah, like that!" Yusuke nodded enthusiastically, "Just like that! Concentrate harder."

"I can't when you're talking to me."

"Then stop replying."

Silence fell in answer, and Masaru blinked as a tiny blue light seemed to appear just above his pointer finger.

"Okay, so, point it over there," Yusuke pointed towards a large tree just a few meters away, "And then, let it go. Imagine it like one of those first person shooters you like so much, and you're pulling a trigger."

Masaru did so, and watched in awe as the small blue light shot off and hit the tree. It was tiny, he could see, it couldn't be any bigger than a number two pencil, but that he could do anything at all like that was simply amazing.

"I did it!" He exclaimed, ecstatic, "Did you see that? That was so cool!"

"You did," Yusuke chuckled as he observed the tree. A tiny bit of bark had chipped off, but little else was there to show what had happened. "Not bad, not bad."

"What was that?" Masaru demanded, "Can anyone do that?"

"I don't know. With enough practice, probably," The other patted his head with a smirk, "That was called the Spirit Gun. Very first move I ever learned."

"Really?" His eyes wide, he looked up at his current guardian in absolute awe.

"Really really. But listen, kid. That's not something you can do just anywhere, or whenever you want. That's just to protect your mom, got that? Promise that you'll only ever use it if either you or your mom is in serious danger."

"I promise," He agreed solemnly, tilting his head down. On the inside, though sobered by the others seriousness, he was beyond happy. He had something, _something_, to use just in case. He could protect his mom even after this whole thing was taken care of.

Maybe, if he practiced enough, he might even be strong enough to protect other people someday.

"One other thing," Yusuke added, "You can only use it once a day. Don't ever try to use it twice in a day unless I say you can, alright?"

"How come?"

"The Spirit Gun is made up of Spirit Energy," He explained, "Everyone has some. But if you use too much of it, it'll be really bad for you. Push yourself too hard, and it can kill you. Right now, you can probably only use one. I know that's how I started out, and you're a lot less developed than I was, so for now we'll play it safe. Promise?"

"I promise," Masaru agreed again.

For a few seconds, there was a quiet stare down before finally Yusuke grinned and ruffled his hair perhaps a little fondly.

"Alright. To celebrate, how about some ice cream? Ice cream makes everything better. Or, that's what Keiko says anyway."

Masaru's eyes lit up with delight and they both laughed. He couldn't wait to practice. Maybe someday Yusuke would teach him more cool stuff. He really hoped so.


End file.
